Car #230 · 2026–27 season
Apart from the rules-specified engine, this single-seat off-road car is designed, analysed, built and tested by students. Scroll to take it apart, or tap any point on the car.
Chassis subteam
A steel space frame with an integrated roll cage, designed for stiffness, driver safety, low weight and easy access to every serviceable part.
Suspension subteam
Double-wishbone independent front suspension with King 2.0 air shocks, tuned for ground clearance, wheel travel and stability over jumps, rocks and ruts.
Suspension subteam
A power-assisted steering system built for precise, low-speed manoeuvring on tight courses, where the car has to thread cones, logs and hairpins.
Drivetrain subteam
Hydraulic disc brakes at all four wheels on two independent circuits, able to lock all four wheels, as the rules require.
Chassis subteam
The driver's seating position, controls and visibility are designed around the drivers, all inside the protection of the roll cage and behind a firewall.
Electrical subteam
Safety shutdown circuits and kill switches, driver controls and wiring packaged to stay reliable through mud and water. A sensor network and data logging are in development.
Rules-specified
Every team runs the same engine specified by the Baja SAE rules: currently a Kohler CH440, rated at 14 hp stock and restricted to 10 hp for competition. The power is fixed, so the gains have to come from the rest of the car.
Drivetrain subteam
A tuned continuously variable transmission keeps the engine in its power band from launch to top speed. Tuning it is one of the biggest performance levers on a fixed-engine car.
Drivetrain subteam
A student-designed gearbox, shafts, hubs and bearings deliver power to a two-wheel-drive rear end, built for efficiency and to survive a four-hour endurance race.
Suspension subteam
Semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension with camber links, keeping the driven wheels planted for traction on hill climbs and through rough sections, without giving up durability.
Spec sheet
The headline figures for this season's car.
Kohler CH440, restricted from 14 hp per the rules
Pounds, without driver
Front to rear axle
Wheel centre to wheel centre
Front / rear, inches
Front / rear, inches
Hydraulic, two independent circuits
Tuned CVT + gearbox
How it gets built
The program runs on a one-year vehicle cycle: every season starts from a clean sheet and ends with a new car on the start line.
Targets, hand calculations, load cases and design reviews with faculty, alumni and sponsors.
Full-vehicle CAD and finite element analysis, plus gear and PCB design on partner software.
Machining, welding, fabrication, wiring and assembly, done by students.
Track days, data logging and off-road testing to find failures before competition does.
Static judging, dynamic events and endurance, and the lessons go straight into the next car.
Software partners
Provided under academic licensing programs, and used on every system of the car.
Design highlights
Completely redesigned front and rear suspension, built to take bigger jumps and tougher obstacles. Designed and simulated in 3D kinematics software, then built in house.
A fully custom gearbox designed by the team, putting more of the engine's power to the wheels to carry us through the toughest challenges.
A lighter, more manoeuvrable chassis that gets us through the field quickly, safely and reliably.
Named subsystem sponsor
Gold and Platinum sponsors can be recognized as the named supporter of a subsystem — "Drivetrain supported by …" — and work directly with the students who design it.
